Covering material for aircraft and method of making said material.



W. G. CLARK.

COVERING MATERIAL FOR AIRCRAFT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAID MATERIAL.

APPLICATION HLED JULV 8.1916.

1,243,041.. Patented Oct. 16,1917.

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'WALTER eonnon cmmx, or new YORK, N. Y.

COVERING MATERIAL FOR AIRCRAFT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAID MATERIAL.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ot. 1e, rat a;

v Application filed July 8, 1916. Serial No. 108,140

To all whom it may concern: 1'

Be it known that I, WALTER G. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county,

and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Covering Material for Aircraft and Methods of Making Said Material, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by draw This invention relates to covering material for aeroplanes, balloons or other air craft, or for any other purpose where a thin, light, strong and air ti ght covering is necessary, and where skin friction is a consideration which makes a smooth surface highly desirable.

The basis or foundation of the material consists of a web 'of Wire mesh or net, which may be of fine wires, either steel, copper, brass, bronze or any other suitable material to which a deposit of metal applied electri- 'be deposited and because of the strength of the metallic film so formed.

The invention. accordingly comprises the features of operation, the steps and the sequence of steps which are exemplified in the structures hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims. I

In the accompanyingdrawings, showing one or more of various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure l is a side elevation"of apparatus for depositing a layer of metal on the web, after the web has first received a preliminary treatment with filling material, such as varnish Fig. 2 is a similar view of apparatus for depositing a layer of metal on the weh, after the Web has received a preliminary treat ment with a suitable paste;

Fig. 3 is a similar View of apparatus for forming a surface on the web by means of a thin sheet of metal or foil, and locking the sheet of metal or foil to-the web by electro- A deposition, and

Fig. 4 is a similar View of apparatus for forming a coating or layer ofmetal on the web, by means of a spray of metal.

Similar referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of thedrawings- First metIwaL -A coating of varnish or collodion or any other suitable filling material of similar nature, which is insoluble in water, is applied to. the wire mesh in such manner that it closes all the openings between the wires over substantially the entire surface area of the web. After this coating is applied, one of the surfaces is cleaned, exposing the wires, and a conducting material is buffed or rubbed into the surface of the filling material. This conducting material may be either a metallic powder I or graphite, or any other suitable material, which can be applied to the surface of the varnish or coating, and is a conductor of electricity. The web or wire net is then placed in or run through an electroplating bath and the entire surface is plated with the metal to be deposited.

Fig. 1 shows a plating bath A having a suitable electrolyte B and an electrode C. The wire mesh M properly treated as described, is run through the bath. from the roll D, over the roller E, to the rewinding roll F. The roller E forms the other'terminal of the circuit, and a film or coating ofmetal is deposited onthe prepared side of the wire mesh. v

Second method-Instead of using varni'sh, a paste made of finely divided metals -mixed with a simple binder, may be spread smoothly over the mesh, either by spreading the same under moderate pressure, or by passing the wire mesh and the filling material between rolls. One of the surfaces is then cleaned to insure that the wires will be exposed, and the webbing thus filled is passed through an electroplating bath, as described. V

In Fig. 2, G and H represent rolls be tween which the wire mesh M passes, and J represents a nozzle or pot for feeding the paste to the mesh between the rolls. The

mesh passes over a roller K and around a V drum L to the rewinding roll 0. In sopassing, the mesh dips into the electroplating bath B, as in Fig. 1.

In either method illustrated in Figs. 1

- and 2, after a continuous metallic surface is secured by depositing a metal over the surface of the filled web, the plated web is then film may be deposited on both sides in this second operation, but such second operation is not essential, except where it is deslred to reinforce and strengthen the surface originally produced.

Third meth0d.-Th'e metallic surface may also be obtained by firmly pressing upon the surface of the web a thin sheet of metal, such'as tinfoil or silver foil or any other very thin metallic filmof suitable metal,

and then looking this filmto the web by depositing metal on the reverse side, thereby locking the surface of film firmly to the wires. In Fig. -3, the web'M is shown passing from the roll D, over the roller'E, through thebath B, to the rewinding roll F. The

thin sheet of metal or foil P passes from the roll over the roller E, between the surface of said roller and the web M and the rewinding roll F takes up both the web M and the foil P. The web M is placed under sufficient tension to press the foil or thin sheet of. metal P tightly against the same,

and the electro deposit" of metal from the bath B firmly locks the foil to the web.

As a modification of these methods, the

metallic surface film may be formed by spraying heated metal upon the treated web,

, as shown in Fig. 4, in which the web M after preliminary treatment with varnish or the like, or metallic paste, or with this sheet metal or foil pressed against the same is passed over a roller E or over a table, and metal is sprayed onto the web from a suitable sprayer R in a well-known manner, thus forming the continuous metallic surface on the web, as before.

The color of the surface deposit may be controlled by controlling the metal deposited, or the rate of deposition, or by depositing a combination of more than as desired;

The covering material produced by the) hereindescribed method, has the advantages of being thin, strong and non-combustible. It can be produced'either in continuous lengths or in continuous sheets of any rea sonably desired area; The wire mesh provides a strong support which is strength- .ened by the material deposited, which is firmly attached to and homogeneously incorporated with the material of "the wires.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of this invention are achieved, and other advantageous results attained.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodi ments above set forth, it is'to be understood one metal,

that all matter herein set forth or shown in v the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent the following:

1; The methodof making air tight sheet material, which consists in applying temporary plastic filling material insolu le in water, to substantially the entire surface area of a foundation of fine metallic wire mesh to close all the interstices of the mesh substantially flush with the surface of the web, cleaning one surface of the said sheet so formed to expose the metallic wires throughout the surface, spreading a layer of conducting materialover the entire cleaned surface of the filling material, ap-

plying and r incorporating a continuous smooth, even and unbroken metallic film upon the entire surface of said conducting material and upon the wires of said mesh throughout the entire surface of the side so prepared, and then removing the filling material, whereby the"foundation of wire mesh is left with a continuous unbroken air tight surface coating of metal adherent thereto. I w;

2. The method of making airtight sheet material, which consists in filling all the 'interstices of fine metallic wire mesh or web over its entire surface, with temporary filling material insoluble in water and having a conducting surface, depositing a continuous surface layer of metal upon the entire surface of said filling material, in such manher as to causesaid metallic layer to adhere closely to the wires of the web throughout its entire area,.and then removing the filling material.

3. An air tight covering material, comprising a foundation web of fine metallic woven wire having a thin, smooth, even film of metal adherent to and incorporated with the wires of the web throughout its entire surface area and filling all the interstices of the Web, thereby forming an air tight surface of metal supported by the web.

4. An air tight covering material comprising a web of fine metallic woven Wire having a continuous metallic surface covering substantially one entire side, locked to the 10 web by means of a continuous deposit of metal adhering to the metallic surface throughout its area and to the wires of the specification in the presence of two sub- 15 scribing witnesses.

WALTER GORDON CLARK. Witnesses:

A. O. PARHAM, M. M. RIEMANN. 

